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* WGN…
Few things receive near-unanimous support in the Illinois legislature, but a bill to crack down on squatters came close.
“We have people simply trespassing on people’s property who don’t belong there, squatting and taking residence up on their own,” said State Rep. Jawaharial Williams (D-Chicago).
His bill changes state law to differentiate squatters from tenants and forego the months-long eviction process. It passed unanimously in the Illinois House and received only a single “no” vote in the state senate. The bill, SB1563, needs Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature to become law. […]
Real estate attorneys say criminals have been known to break into unoccupied homes and then pose as landlords offering prospective tenants a fake lease. They then take advantage of state law meant to protect true tenants from wrongful evictions.
* WAND…
A plan led by state Sen. Robert Peters (D-Chicago) would keep the current state and federal occupational health and safety policies for some jobs. Coal miners, warehouse and factory workers will continue to have the same safety laws even if the federal government removes them. […]
This bill would also ensure the state maintains the same wages for those workers, even if the federal government reduces their pay.
While receiving support from his fellow Democrats, Republicans raised their concerns on the proposal. Speaking on the concerns raised by businesses, state Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) said creating state specific laws for interstate businesses will cause major issues. […]
Peter’s bill passed out of the Senate on a partisan 38-19-1 vote. It will now head to the House for further debate.
* Sen. Cristina Castro…
As the federal government takes steps to dismantle agencies and lay off qualified public servants who administer key programs serving millions of Americans, State Senator Cristina Castro is moving forward with a plan to protect state-administered federal programs from future interference.
“Here in Illinois, we aren’t going to sit by while the health care and food assistance programs our neighbors rely on are hollowed out and job opportunities are eroded,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “This legislation is key to making sure dedicated public servants — who serve vulnerable residents in need — aren’t left on the chopping block.”
Federal merit systems — standards that states must adhere to for employees who administer specific grant programs — have been in place since the passage of the Civil Service Act in 1883. These standards are meant to ensure the individuals responsible for federal dollars are highly qualified, treated fairly, safeguarded from discrimination, compensated adequately and protected from partisan coercion. Programs currently covered by federal merit requirements include Medicaid, aging programs, unemployment insurance, SNAP, foster care and adoption assistance, and several grant programs serving people with disabilities and families with dependent children.
Under Castro’s measure, the current personnel merit requirements would be codified in state law, ensuring that if the federal government weakens or eliminates its requirements, key programs like unemployment insurance, SNAP and Medicaid will continue to be administered in Illinois by qualified, capable state employees. […]
House Bill 1586 passed the Senate Labor Committee Tuesday.
The state Senate passed House Bill 1189 Wednesday afternoon. The measure calls for Illinois’ prevailing wage to override federal prevailing wage for federal projects if the state wage is higher.
State Sen. Christopher Belt, D-Swansea, was asked about the bill’s constitutionality and higher taxpayer costs potentially leading to fewer projects in Illinois.
“I really don’t think that’s the issue,” Belt said. “Other states are currently doing it. The Missouri Department of Transportation right now implements this. Minnesota, California and Washington are among three other states that right now implement this very legislation that we’re looking at trying to enact.” […]
Forty senators voted in favor of the bill and 18 voted against it. House Bill 1189 can now be sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker. If he signs it, the law would take effect July 1.
* WCIA…
Illinoisans could soon have access to emergency birth control straight from pharmacists — and no prescription would be needed from a doctor.
The Illinois Senate Executive Committee passed a bill to update the state’s Pharmacy Practice Act. This would let pharmacists in Illinois dispense the emergency contraceptive ulipristal acetate — more commonly known as Ella — and other non-hormonal options as a way to prevent pregnancy. […]
“Women come in all shapes and sizes so it only stands to reason that medication should be tailored to them as needed,” [Sen. Rachel Ventura] said. “By allowing pharmacists to prescribe all types of contraceptives, including non-hormonal options, this bill aims to improve access so that every individual can make the best choice for birth control.” […]
It passed the committee with seven votes in favor and three against. It has already passed the House and is now headed to the Senate floor for further debate.
The Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that adds new anti-bias education requirements for providers of maternal health services.
The measure is aimed at combating maternal mortality in marginalized groups. If signed into law, it would mandate providers receive one hour of training prior to renewing a state license, starting in July 2026. The Senate passed the bill on a 44-12 vote, following its passage 82-29 in the House in April. It needs only a signature from Gov. JB Pritzker to become law.
The training required by House Bill 2517 would educate providers on historic racial discrepancies in maternal care in an effort to reduce implicit biases among providers. Health care professionals would be allowed to count completion of the course toward minimum continuing education requirements.
“As a country, the United States is the most dangerous place to give birth in the developed world, and it’s three times as dangerous for Black people,” said Kelly Hubbard, director of policy and advocacy at EverThrive Illinois, where she works to advocate for optimal maternal health policies. That statistic comes from the Illinois Department of Public Health’s 2023 Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Report.
* Sen. Robert Peters…
Seeking to reinforce the supportive role of the Department of Children and Family Services, State Senator Robert Peters advanced legislation aiming to remove the agency’s authority to operate its own law enforcement agency.
“DCFS should be a source of help for families in need, not a force of intimidation,” said Peters (D-Chicago). “This bill would create a necessary boundary to ensure families in crisis are met with care, not criminalization.”
Peters’ measure would remove the department’s statutory authority to appoint personnel to act as peace officers in counties with more than 500,000 people. Instead, it would reaffirm that any law enforcement needs involving DCFS would be handled by local or state police.
For families already navigating difficult situations, the bill would offer peace of mind and clarity, reinforce trust between communities and DCFS, and reduce chances of escalation.
“When families turn to DCFS they’re often facing some of the hardest moments of their lives,” said Peters. “It’s our duty to make sure these families receive the support they’re seeking, and this bill does that.”
House Bill 1715 passed the Senate Wednesday.
* WAND…
An Illinois bill to expand access to Alzheimer’s treatment is heading to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk.
Legislation signed into law last year required the state employees insurance program to cover medically necessary FDA-approved treatments and medications to slow progression of the disease. The law also requires coverage for diagnostic testing for doctors to determine the best treatment or medication starting July 1.
Now, lawmakers want to require this coverage for patients on any health insurance plan.
“This requirement applies to private health insurance plans regulated by the state, self-insuring counties, self-insuring municipalities, self-insuring school districts, health maintenance organizations, and limited health service organizations,” said Rep. Mary Gill (D-Chicago)
Another bill that cleared the General Assembly would require all school buses in K-12 schools to have seat belts on them.
According to Senate Bill 191, any school buses made after 2031 would be required to have seat belts that go over the lap and shoulders of all passengers.
The bill doesn’t require school district staff, a contractor or any entity in charge of school buses to make sure students are wearing seat belts; it would just require new buses to have them.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lists on its website that buses are designed so “children are protected from crashes by strong, closely spaced seats that have energy-absorbing seat backs.” Short school buses already require seat belts because they are closer in weight to normal cars.
* Sen. Rachel Ventura…
To support ongoing efforts aimed at protecting and revitalizing local landscapes and ecosystems, State Senator Rachel Ventura and State Representative Anna Moeller advanced legislation through the Senate that would create new rewilding strategies by giving the Illinois Department of Natural Resources more authority to implement conservation tactics. […]
House Bill 2726 would grant the Illinois Department of Natural Resources more power to implement rewilding as a conservation strategy. This could include the restoration of land to its natural state, the reintroduction of native species — particularly apex predators and keystone species — and the restoration of ecological processes as defined by state-specific baselines.
“Rewilding” means to restore an area of land to its natural uncultivated state. This term is used especially with reference to the reintroduction of species of wild animals that have been driven out of an area or exterminated by human interference. […]
Under current law, IDNR currently has no statutory authority to take measures that are necessary for the implementation of rewilding as a conservation strategy in Illinois. Illinois would be the first state to explicitly pass legislation on rewilding, advancing efforts to preserve and protect species.
House Bill 2726 passed the Senate on Wednesday.
posted by Isabel Miller
Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 9:14 am
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I wasn’t expecting the one Nay vote on the squatting bill to be coming from a conservative Republican from Freeport…
Comment by NIU Grad Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 9:21 am
=Another bill that cleared the General Assembly would require all school buses in K-12 schools to have seat belts on them.=
The definition of “solution seeking a problem”.
Comment by JS Mill Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 9:32 am
-The measure calls for Illinois’ prevailing wage to override federal prevailing wage for federal projects if the state wage is higher.-
What a way to lower costs in Illinois.
Comment by Steve Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 9:37 am
Has DCFS ever actually used the clause allowing them to have a police force? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it needs to be an option for them at all (assuming local/county/state police are available to assist when necessary), but I wonder how many other zombie provisions exist in laws that were put into place and never actually used.
Comment by Homebody Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 9:39 am
Feel bad for any family dealing with dementia-BUT requiring stare and private insurers to cover treatment including experimental drugs will (1) make the JB migrant care by the state look cheap by comparison and(2) raise premiums for everyone thru the roof- Illinois need not be first at everything particularly when it is in dire fiscal shape
Comment by Sue Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 9:39 am
Does anyone have any idea why Sen. Chesney voted against the anti-squatting law? Did he hit the wrong button? Is there some sort of ‘Pro-Squatting’ lobby throwing around campaign donations or something? Do the folks in places like Lena, Mount Carroll and Oregon have a passion for house squatting of which I was previously unaware?
Comment by Benniefly2 Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 9:41 am
=Feel bad for any family dealing with dementia-BUT=
BUT you really don’t.
Compassionate conservatism at its’ finest.
Comment by JS Mill Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 9:54 am
==What a way to lower costs in Illinois.==
Think of it as a means for the state to backdoor its way into the SALT deduction.
Comment by City Zen Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 10:13 am
=-The measure calls for Illinois’ prevailing wage to override federal prevailing wage for federal projects if the state wage is higher=
Another step that makes Illinois just a little bit more unfriendly to those seeking to spend on large capital projects.
Comment by Donnie Elgin Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 10:42 am
While good intentioned, House Bill 1586 looks like a potential budgetary time bomb. Hopefully legislative and executive staff look at it. Questions: a) will it require state to replace and pay for fed funded employees who don’t meet the state standards? b) what happens if the retribution squad pulls funding because admin staff fails to meet fed standards?
Comment by Norseman Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 10:52 am
Evidently Senator Chesney does not have a 5-time convicted Meth dealer squatting next door to his family or he would not have voted “No” on Senate Bill 1563. Pretty sad for a conservative Republican elected by his constituents to represent them!
Comment by Madmax1 Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 11:29 am
= …little bit more unfriendly..+
Friendly? Maybe you can bake them cookies to seem more…friendly.
It makes it more expensive is what it does.
Comment by JS Mill Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 12:03 pm
“Does anyone have any idea why Sen. Chesney voted against the anti-squatting law?”
Probably less of an idea, and more of a theory, but…
He is probably just upset the similar in parts but much more bloated bill he is cosponsoring went nowhere. Senate Bill 1400.
He might have just voted against it out of spite.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 12:26 pm
Re: WAND story on OSHA laws
=== Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) said creating state specific laws for interstate businesses will cause major issues. ===
Since my Senator Tracy has acknowledged potential issues, I hope she will work in a bipartisan fashion to help address these issues, so as to protect workers. Bipartisanship should be the goal here.
Comment by H-W Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 12:38 pm
The fact that HB2726 passed is ludicrous. Not only does the sponsor not even define what rewilding is, she said in the Senate committee that the bill is for “if the federal government ever creates a rewilding grant program.” Good luck with that. JCAR better create some very thorough rules for this or else we are going to see deaths of people and animals caused by this bill.
Comment by DirtGoblin Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 12:45 pm
Mandating that insurance plans cover all FDA-approved dementia medications/treatments sounds great — unless you’ve been paying enough attention to know that that at least one recently-approved treatment was so controversial that, unusually, the FDA approved it based on very shaky cherry-picked evidence, but CMS, under Biden no less, said, “$300,000 is too high a cost to mandate that Medicare cover this.”
It also irritates me that there is a process for mandating that bills have the cost to the state calculated, but nothing to identify how much this will raise expenses for residents in other ways, that is, here, how much health insurance will go up by.
Comment by Jane Thursday, May 22, 25 @ 1:06 pm